Device for raising and lowering boats



Oct. 8, 1957 A. w. ODELL 2,808,597

DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS Filed Oct. 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG.I.

INVENTOR.

Albert' W. Odell M yanm Oct. 8, 1957 A. w. ODELL DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct; 10, 1955 INVENTOR; Alber f' w. Odell BY mysfim ATT'YS.

DEVICE FOR RAISING AND LOWERING BOATS Albert W. Odell, Dallas, Tex.

Application October 10, 1955, Serial No. 539,617

1 Claim. (Cl. 9-39) This invention relates to a device for raising and lowering boats and more particularly to a device of such character which is particularly adapted for use in connection with emergency craft such as life boats.

It has been noted that conventional means for lowering emergency crafts such as life craft aboard ship involve mechanism which is usually hand operated and which, at best, requires some skill on the operators part to properly lower the craft into the water. The present invention seeks to overcome this difiiculty and to provide a means for lowering a boat from its normal position into the water by mechanism which automatically operates in sequential relationship such that the only manipulation necessary is to initially free the boat from whatever moorings are necessary and to then throw a switch to actuate a motor.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide improved means for lowering and raising boats which includes a pair of spaced arms having means associated therewith for raising and lowering the same and having cable or flexible element winding means also associated therewith, which winding means is actuated only after the arms have been lowered to a position so as to place an associated boat over the side of the ship or structure upon which the device is mounted.

Another object of this invention is to provide a boat raising and lowering device which includes a pair of spaced parallel vertically swinging arms having means associated therewith for raising and lowering the same and having a single source of power associated therewith, there also being a cable Winding and unwinding mechanism mounted in close adjacency to the arms upon which cable elements are wound and which cable elements extend therefrom over pulley mechanisms carried by free ends of the arms, with the free ends of the cables being detachably connected to an associated bolt, and wherein means is provided for winding and unwinding the drum mechanism, the single source of power being so associated with the arm raising and lowering mechanism and with the drum winding and unwinding mechanism as to be automatically shiftably connected to the same to automatically lower the boat by first lowering the arms to a position in which the boat is projected over the side of the associated ship or the like and then paying out the cable mechanism to lower the boat into the water.

As this invention may be embodied in several forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof, the .present embodiment is therefore illustrative and not restrictive, since the scope of the invention is defined by the appended claim rather than by the description preceding them, and all changes that fall within the metes and bounds of the claim or that form their functional as well as conjointly cooperative equivalents, are therefore intended to be embraced by the claim.

In the drawings: a r

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device constructed in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the plane of section line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the device;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 4-4 in Fig. l; and

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken substantially along the plane of section line 55 in Fig. 2.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, and

most specifically at this point to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 5, the,

reference numeral designates generally the deck of a ship or a platform upon which the device is mounted'and which constitutes a base therefor. Secured to this base are a pair of spaced, parallel, upstanding panels 11 and 12 As shown most clearly in Figs. 2 and S, the base of each panel is securely anchored to the base 10 by means of an angle iron member indicated generally by the reference character 13 which includes the vertically upstanding leg portion 14 secured as by the fasteners 15 to the lower portion of its associated panel and which also includes a horizontal leg portion 16 secured as by fasteners 17 directly to the base 10.

The horizontal leg 16 is provided with an upstanding flange portion 18 which serves as a confining guide for a rack member 19 which is disposed between such flange and the inner face ofthe associated panel 11 as shown in Fig. 5 so that the rack is guided therewithin for horizontal sliding movement. The teeth on the rack 19 mesh with a gear segment 20 which is secured in offset relation to the enlarged arcuate pivot portion 21 of the raising and lowering arm 22.

It will be appreciated that there are two such arms, being designated by the reference characters 22 and 23, and that one is associated with each panel 11 and 12, the construction and operation of each being the same and generally as shown in Fig. 5.

The pivot portion 21 of each arm is pivotally secured at its midpoint to its associated panel as for example by the pivot member 24 shown in Figs. 2 and 5, and each i panel is provided with an arcuate slot 25 which receives a guide pin 26 carried by each arm. The guide pin projects through the pivot portion 21 of its associated arm and through the associated arcuate slot 25 and is pro: vided on its outer side with a washer 27 and retaining nut 28 so as to lend additional rigidity and support to the arm as it is raised and lowered about its horizontal pivot axis.

It will be understood, of course, that the pivot axes for the arms are coincidental.

The two racks iii-19 associated with the two arm members 22; and 23 are physically interconnected by means of a bar 2%, such bar being rigidly secured at its opposite ends to the racks, as for example, by the fasteners 3i) and 31, the purpose of the bar being to rigidly interconnect the racks and cause their simultaneous movement as hereinafter described.

Mounted on the base ill between the arm members is a source of power such as an electric motor indicated generally by the reference character 32. This motor has a drive shaft 33 extending therefrom and which drive shaft is provided with splines as shown most clearly in Figs. 1 and 4 upon which a sliding gear member 34 is received. The gear member 34 is normally urged toward the motor casing by means of a spring 35 mounted concentrically on the drive shaft 33, such spring being .disposed between the sliding gear member 34 and a fixed collar member 36 on the end of the drive shaft as will be seen most clearly in Fig.

Mounted parallel to' the arms and substantially midway therebetween is a worm shaft member 37, which is rotatablyisupported on the base by means of the pedestal Fa tented Oct. 8, 1957 One end of this worm shaft is provided with a fixed gear element ill-adapted to be meshed with the sliding gear element 34 on the drive shaft 33 and an intermediate portionof this shaft is formed-with a. worm spiral which operates upon a nutportion, 41 which is integral with or fixed to the previously mentionedbar 29-. so. that when theworm shaft 37 is rotated, thenut- 4l..will be, fed therealong in one direction or the other-depending upon the direction of rotation of the wormshaft and consequently the bar and its associated racks 1919 are imparted a similar movement.

The. worm shaft is, of course, provided with suitable thrust collars in association with eachof the bearing pedestals 38-39 so as to. prevent longitudinal movement thereof during operation A second shaft 42 is journaledbetween pedestals 38 and 39 in vertically disposed relation with respect to the worm shaft 37 and this shaft has at one end a fixed gear member 43 which is disposed in spaced relation to thepreviously mentioned elementon the gear shaft 37 and the several gear elements 34, 40andl 43 are so related that the slidable gear element 34 can be moved with either of the gears 40 or 43 as will be readily apparent. Normally, the spring 35 urges the sliding gear element 34 into engagement with the gear 4i) and consequently when the motor 32 is actuated by means of manual switch control (not shown) the shaft 37 will be caused to rotate.

The shaft 42 has fixed thereon intermediate its ends a further gear element 44 which is in constant mesh with a gear element 45 on a cross shaft'46, such cross shaft being journaled by means of suitable pedestal bearings 47 and 48 as shown most clearly in Fig. ,1. 1

. Fixed to the opposite ends of the cross shaft 46 are drum members 49 and 50 which are disposed substantially in alignment with the arms 22 and 23 with which they are associated, that is, directly therebelow. The drum elements 49 and 50 have wound thereon flexible elements or cables 51 and 52 and such cables extend therefrom over pulley means 53 connected to the depending hook end portions 54 at the free ends of the arms 22 and 23, see particularly Fig. 2. Each cable carries at its end a suitable hook member 55 for engagement with an eye 56 on a corresponding end of the life boat which is designated generally by the reference character 57.

Preferably, the free ends of the arms 22 and 23 are rigidly interconnected by a brace bar 58 as will be seen most clearly in Fig. 1 and a similar bar 59 is utilized to rigidly interconnect the upper ends of the panels 11 and 12, the purposes of these constructions being to impart sufiicient rigidity to the structure so that it properly performs its function.

The previously mentioned sliding gear member 34 has rigid therewith a collar portion 60 which has an annular groove therein which receives the bifurcated end portion of ashifting lever 61. The shifting lever, as shown most clearly in Fig. 1, is pivoted intermediate its ends so that when the bar 29 is moved toward the top of the page in Fig. l, the extension 62 will engage the free end of the shifting lever 61 and cause the sliding gear 34 to be taken out of its normal mesh with the gear element 34 and to shift into engagement with the gear member 43. To cause proper actuation of this shifting mechanism, it will be understood that there is some overlap between the meshing of the gear 34 with the two gears 40 and 43. That is, as the bar moves in a direction to pivot the lever 61, the gear 34 will remain in mesh with the gear 40 while simultaneously being meshed with the gear 43 and this relationship continues until the bar 29 has moved to such-a position as to fully disengage the drive between the gears 34 and 40 at which time the gear 34 is substantially completely meshed with the gear 43.

As will be readily seen, rearward movement of the.

bar 29,, that is, movement thereof toward the top, of the page in Fig. 1 or toward the rightin Fig. 2, will cause the arms 22 and 23 to be shifted from their uppermost dotted line position in Fig. 2 to their lowermost full line position in that same figure, such that the life boat is projected over the side of the vessel with which it is associated. At this point, the sliding gear 34 will have been shifted completely into engagement with the gear 43 which will cause the drum means 49 and 50 to pay out the cable elements and thus lower the boat into the water.

The motor 32 is, of course, reversible so that the mechanism may be operated in either direction but it is extremely important to note that from thetime the boat and the arms are in their-normal carrying position until the boat is lowered'into the water, the operation of the mechanism need only be initiated by an operator. That is, the operator initially throws the control switch for the motor to the down position and thereafter the sequence of operation is fully automatic to continually position the boat and lower the same into the water.

Of course,-to raise a boatfromthe Water, the operation is not automatic. have both been lowered and the-cables have been payed out so that the hooks thereof 55 can be engaged with the boat, it will be necessary to reverse the motor 32 to start winding up the cables 51 and 52 and consequently raise the boat until it is positioned closely adjacent the free ends of the arms. At this point, it is necessary to disengage the extension 62 from the shifting lever 61 and permit the spring 35 to automatically shift the gear 34 back into engagement with the gear 46 which causes the arms to be raised. For this purpose, the extension 62, as shownmost clearly in Fig. 4, is provided with a hingedconnection63 with the-bar 29 so that it may be raised upwardly manually to disengage the shiftinglever 61 to permit this action. Of course, the extension 62, as will be seen in;Fig. 4, normally rests under its own weight in the horizontal position so as to engage withwthe shifting lever61 as, will be readily apparent;

The fully automatic lowering of the boat is of extreme importance since it permits a boat to be loaded and then, with one manual operation, to be lowered completely into the water and free of its associated vessel without further manipulation by an operation, thus obviating mistakes which could occur under the stress and strain of the emergency which occasioned the necessity for using the life boat.

I claim:

In a device for raising .and lowering boats, a pair of spaced, parallel, upright panelseach having an arm pivotally mounted thereon, each arm being provided with a gear segment, means for mounting each panel upon a base and including a guideway, a sliding rack mounted in each guideway and engaged with an associated one of said gear segmentsand means for sliding said racks in unison, there being a pulley carried'by the free end of each arm, drum means having flexible elements thereon trained over said pulley forsupporting a boat, said means for sliding the racks including a motor havinga-drive shaft and a sliding gear feathered to the drive shaft, said sliding gear being normally urged in a direction-toslide said racks,

a second shaft having a gear thereon and dn'vingly connected with said drum means, and said sliding gear being automatically shifted upon predetermined movement of said racks in one direction to-discontinue the drive to the racks and engage the last mentioned gear forunwinding said drum means.

References Cited in the. file of this patent UNIT ED STATES PATENTS 986,399 Lundin Mar. 7, 1911 1,086,309 Rennerfelt et al. Feb 3, 1914 1,495,569 Blake May 27, 1924 1,559,534 Osbon Oct. 27, 1925 FOREIGN PATENTS V 7 230,215 Great Britain Mar. 12, 1925 For example, assuming that the arms. 

